Game Over

My breath plays with my body
It's the game of hide and seek
I catch it, then it disappears again
Each grasp a little shorter than the last

I feel it's arrival before I see it
Its evil grin takes dominance in my mind
I taste its overwhelming presence
I know I'm done yet I remain

It leaves again, my breath
This time I'm reluctant to catch it
But it is forced back into my lungs
Death still wants to play

It stares at me and I return the gaze
My family weep, but I'm at my strongest
I smile as it holds the breath one last time
Then I feel nothing. Game over.

Pixabay Creative Commons

This is my entry for the Stach Poetry Contest.